1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique of reproducing contents. In particular, the invention relates to an apparatus and a method with which reproduction of contents can be controlled according to a viewer.
2. Description of the Background Art
Regarding a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) recorder, DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) player and other digital data recording and reproducing apparatuses, so-called resuming reproduction capability is known. The resuming reproduction capability allows contents whose reproduction was stopped halfway to be reproduced again from the position where the reproduction was stopped.
In connection with such a capability, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-281447 for example discloses an information reproduction apparatus with which a relation between information before reproduction and information after reproduction can easily be understood. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2004-355681 discloses a reproduction apparatus with which the contents reproduced before the reproduction was stopped can be confirmed and the reproduction can then be started with the contents well understood. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-112201 discloses an information reproduction apparatus that allows a plurality of users to use the reproduction resume capability. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-032297 discloses a reproduction apparatus that can start, in the case where a plurality of users separately view one title, reproduction of the title from the position where each user stopped the reproduction.
With this resuming capability, reproduction of the same contents is resumed at the last position where the reproduction was stopped. Therefore, the viewer of the contents can view the subsequent part of the contents.
However, in the case where contents whose reproduction was stopped are reproduced again from the position where stopped, a problem occurs that the viewer, at the time immediately after the reproduction is started, cannot remember details of the contents. Further, in the case where a plurality of viewers watch the same contents, it does not necessarily occur that the same viewer gives an instruction to resume reproduction. Therefore, reproduction of contents cannot always be resumed appropriately for the viewer.